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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787160">Trixie</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddyoshie/pseuds/daddyoshie'>daddyoshie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>House of Anubis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bonding, Christmas, Emotional Support, F/M, Friendship, Holidays, Hurt/Comfort, Nicknames, Parental Issues, Season 2, and flashbacks, just having a good time, no beta we crash and burn like a jerome moneymaking scheme, rated t for cursing and getting to first base</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:56:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daddyoshie/pseuds/daddyoshie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Where did the nickname "Trixie" come from? And why do only Alfie and Jerome use it? Until now, Patricia has never told anyone the story behind the name.</p><p>Or: The story of the time that Alfie and Jerome went out of their way for Patricia and forged a strong bond of friendship in the process.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Miller/Patricia Williamson, Jerome Clarke &amp; Alfie Lewis &amp; Patricia Williamson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Trixie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, I originally meant for this to be a short and sweet 2k or 3k fic...it got a little out of hand. But, I'm quite pleased with the result. I have always wondered why Alfie and Jerome, and ONLY Alfie and Jerome, call her Trixie, so I decided I'd write an explanation myself. I wanted to write a moment where they allowed themselves to be a little softer and more open and vulnerable with each other, which yeah they don't do on the norm but hey it's Christmas emotions get weird at Christmas. And yeah, it's a little late for me to be publishing a Christmas fic, but I had the idea AT Christmas, okay? Things take time to write.</p><p>I personally love the idea of Alfie/Jerome/Patricia having a close and special friendship, and I hope you do, too. I really hope you enjoy what I've come up with here; just sit back and enjoy the friendship.</p><p>Also a note that the flashback segments are meant to jump around between days. And this also takes place in a world where Victor doesn't stay in the house over Christmas break; just Trudy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late, and Patricia thought it was oddly quiet in the house. Currently, there was no one else on the ground floor, aside from her boyfriend, whom she found on the living room sofa playing on his phone.</p><p>“Hey,” she said as she approached.</p><p>He glanced up from his phone. “Hey, Trixie, what’s up?”</p><p>Patricia stopped short. “<em>What </em> did you just call me?”</p><p>“Uh...Trixie?”</p><p>“<em>Don’t </em>call me that.”</p><p>Eddie furrowed his brow. “Uh...wh...but...hang on, I’m confused. Alfie and Jerome call you Trixie.”</p><p>“Yeah, and they’re the only ones allowed to.”</p><p>This just confused Eddie even more. “Why? Why can’t I?”</p><p>“They’re like my brothers. And I don’t want my boyfriend to call me the same thing my brothers do.” Patricia sat down next to him. “Besides, it’s weird to hear you call me that. You call me so many other things; I’m sure you can come up with more creative alternatives, like you always do.”</p><p>He looked like he wanted to ask her something. After a moment’s hesitation, he just decided to come out and ask it. “Is there something...special, about that name? Or something?”</p><p>Patricia chuckled. “That name goes a long way back. Definitely a story with that name. And...yeah, it’s just for them. Trust me, this is not a you thing, this is a them thing. I’d yell at anyone else just the same. Amber, Fabian, Mara, even Joy — all getting yelled at if they ever call me Trixie.”</p><p>He seemed curious. “So what’s the story?”</p><p>“Fuck, I shouldn’t have mentioned a story, I knew you’d be too interested.”</p><p>Eddie flashed his eyebrows up and down. “You know me so well.”</p><p>Patricia hesitated. She wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to tell him. This was something she kept under wraps and held close to her chest. “This is not exactly the world’s shortest story.”</p><p>Eddie’s expression became a tad more sincere. “I’m all ears. And I literally mean <em>all </em>ears. No lips. I won’t tell a soul.”</p><p>She bit her lip. “I don’t know, this is kind of...personal. And it’s a bit of a secret; we don’t go around telling this to people. It was meant to stay between the three of us.”</p><p>“Come on, we said we wouldn’t keep any more secrets from each other.”</p><p>He was right. Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t actually <em>like </em>keeping secrets. And considering the one <em>big </em>secret she had to keep from him, she figured the least she could do was tell him this one. She trusted him.</p><p>Patricia charged ahead before she could change her mind. “Alright, well, buckle up, because I am about to tell you a story I have never told anyone before, and I will never tell anyone again, so you better listen carefully.”</p><p>Eddie settled in and took her hand in his. “The floor’s yours. I won’t even interrupt the entire time.”</p><p>Patricia took a deep breath and began. “Well, I think we were about fourteen or fifteen. It was Christmas holiday, and everyone in the house had gone home for the two weeks. Except the three of us.”</p><hr/><p>Patricia hung up the phone so aggressively she thought she might crack the screen.</p><p>She was absolutely fuming. She had just gotten off a call with her parents, who had given her even more bad news. They’d already told her a few weeks ago that they were going to be traveling over the holiday break to go with Piper’s school and see her perform in some fancy concert or showcase, meaning Patricia wasn’t going to be able to go home for the break; she’d have to stay here. But they had just informed her that not only was this a big trip, but it was also an <em>international </em>trip — in Florida. And they weren’t going to be able to talk to her over the break as much because of data plans or time zones or some garbage. So not only were they not taking her on the trip (because the school only allotted two tickets per student or whatever bullshit her parents said), they weren’t taking her to a <em>vacation </em>destination, and they were barely going to speak to her at all. They were just going to leave her in the dust. Just the thing Patricia wanted to hear on the day that break started.</p><p>Whatever, she didn’t need anyone, anyway.</p><p>She hadn’t told any of her other housemates that she wasn’t going home. They all thought she would just be leaving later than the rest of them. That was for the best; she didn’t need to bother anyone, she could tough it out on her own.</p><p>So she bid her friends farewell and then camped out in her room. She didn’t want anyone to linger around and start asking any questions. That was not a conversation she wanted. She waited in her room until she was sure everyone had gone, and then she was alone in the house. Maybe having free reign wouldn’t be so bad. Sure, it would be lonely, but she had the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Sole control of the TV was going to be nice.</p><p>Positive that she was alone, Patricia left her room and made her way down the stairs. However, as she made the turn into the living room, she discovered that she was very much not alone. She was startled to find Jerome and Alfie sitting on the couch watching TV. She hadn’t realized they were here; she’d thought they’d left along with everyone else. And it seemed that they’d thought the same about her, because they looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.</p><p>“What are you two doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on your way home for the holidays?” Patricia asked in a rather accusatory tone.</p><p>“We could ask you the same, Patricia,” Jerome countered.</p><p>Patricia crossed her arms. “I asked you first.”</p><p>They found themselves in a bit of a standoff. Alfie broke the silence. “Well, a few days ago, I learned that Jerome here <em>never </em>goes home for the holidays.”</p><p>Patricia couldn’t help but soften just a tad. “Never?”</p><p>Jerome couldn’t hide the grim look on his face. Alfie shook his head. “Nope, never. And I didn’t want him to have to spend the holidays alone, so I decided I’d stay this year.” Alfie got a pondering look on his face. “Though, I guess he wouldn’t have been alone anyway; I didn’t realize you were staying, too.”</p><p>“Me neither,” Jerome said. “So why <em>are </em>you staying?”</p><p>Patricia was reluctant to say anything. She definitely didn’t want to mention her sister, partly because she was angry at her at the moment, and partly because she kind of just didn’t want anyone to know she existed. But she knew these two wouldn’t let her get away with saying nothing, so she had to tell them at least part of the truth.</p><p>“My parents are…on vacation for the holidays.”</p><p>“And they didn’t bring you?” Alfie questioned.</p><p>Patricia shook her head.</p><p>“Well, that’s terribly rude of them,” Jerome said. “Parents, am I right?”</p><p>“Hey, don’t stress about it. We’ll keep you company. Come, sit,” Alfie beckoned her to join them.</p><p>Cautiously, she sat down in one of the chairs to join them watching whatever zombie movie was currently on the TV. She took a look at them laughing and jostling with each other, and she thought that maybe she wouldn’t be so lonely after all.</p><p>“Hey! That was my ear, knock it off! I’m not afraid to hit you back!”</p><p>Well, maybe.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The next day appeared to get off to a better start after she spent most of the morning and afternoon playing various board games with Alfie and Jerome, which mostly entailed losing to Jerome and then her getting mad about it.</p><p>“<em>No</em>! You can’t just fucking take Australia from me!” Patricia screamed.</p><p>“Hey, be glad you ever had a continent at all,” Alfie said.</p><p>“Do you have weighted dice? You definitely have weighted dice, no <em>way </em>you won that.”</p><p>“Cry all you want, but it looks like you’re the big loser, Pat, and <em>I </em>have taken over the world,” Jerome grinned wickedly.</p><p>“Pat? The fuck? Don’t fucking call me that,” Patricia said with disgust in her voice.</p><p>“Why not, Pat?” Alfie asked. “That could be a fun nickname for you.”</p><p>“You call me that again, and I will bring out Twister and use it as an excuse to break your arm.”</p><p>“So...Uno next?”</p><p>However, the day, predictably, took a quick downturn. Around lunchtime or so, she’d checked her social media just to find pictures posted by Piper of their arrival in Florida, which included pictures of her and their parents at the beach. Patricia could feel her stomach start to boil. It felt like a slap in the face, seeing these photos. All that fun they were having without her.</p><p>And then, late in the afternoon, she got a phone call from her parents.</p><p>“I thought you said you weren’t going to be able to talk to me,” she said, her voice laced with venom.</p><p>“We didn’t say we’d <em>never </em>talk! Just not as much as we’d like!” her mother protested.</p><p>Patricia huffed. “So what is it? You calling to tell me more bad news?”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>God, really? “What is it then? Come on, lay it on me.”</p><p>Her mother hesitated. “Please don’t be mad, dear, it was a mistake, honest. And we really hate to tell you this, but...we forgot to put your Christmas presents in the mail before we left; they’re not going to arrive in time for Christmas. We are so, so, so sorry, darling, we just feel awful. We’ll send them the second we get back, we promise.”</p><p>They’d fucking forgotten. Of course they had. Patricia wasn’t super materialistic, but damn, it was about the thought. It was about feeling loved. And she certainly didn’t feel loved right now.</p><p>Her emotions were swinging violently all over the place. She couldn’t tell whether she wanted to rage and scream or curl up into a ball. Regardless, the idea of talking to her parents for even one more second made her feel sick.</p><p>“Bye, mum.”</p><p>After she hung up, she felt her throat start to tighten up. No, <em>no</em>, she would not get upset right in the living room. Not where either of those two boys could walk in at any time.</p><p>Speak of the devil. That was the moment Alfie walked into the room, looking as cheery as ever. He approached the corner where Patricia was standing.</p><p>“Hey, Patty! Me and Jerome were just about to plug in the games and start some Mario Kart, you wanna join?”</p><p>“Don’t fucking call me that,” she snapped.</p><p>That was when Alfie noticed the expression on her face. He furrowed his brow in concern. “You okay?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” she snapped once more.</p><p>“You sure? Because —”</p><p>“I said I’m fine! Fuck off!” she exploded, proceeding to turn on her heel and stomp all the way upstairs.</p><p>She slammed the door behind her and threw herself in bed. She needed to be alone right now, and she couldn’t think of anywhere else she could go where those idiots wouldn’t dare follow. She grabbed hold of her covers and yanked them over her.</p><p>Patricia hated her fucking family. It was like this every time. They always put Piper first. Every. Single. Time. ‘Cause she was <em>special </em>or <em>perfect </em>or whatever bullshit. She always got <em>everything</em>. She certainly always got the attention from their parents. At this point, Patricia was pretty sure they loved Piper more than her. Their actions certainly reflected it.</p><p>She was incredibly angry and upset, and usually when she was upset about something, she’d confide in her friends. Joy and Fabian weren’t around, so she couldn’t just go to them. And besides, her feelings and problems concerning her family were a different animal entirely. She didn’t want to talk to anyone about that at all, even if her friends were here. Fabian didn’t even know that Piper existed. Family was a sensitive issue for her, and she just wanted to bury it deep down and tough it out.</p><p>God, why did her family have to make her upset more often than not? She felt a sudden wave of anger and frustration, so she picked up a paperback from her nightstand and chucked it across the room, where it loudly thunked onto the floor by Joy’s bed. One single book was pretty tame for her. Usually a Patricia rage would have turned the entire room into a warzone, but she found she didn’t even have the energy to be properly angry. She just felt sad and unloved, which she knew was worse.</p><p>Patricia had the fleeting desire to talk to someone, but she didn’t want to bother her friends with her problems on their holiday break. And she certainly didn’t want Jerome and Alfie in her business. She didn’t trust those clowns nearly enough, they’d just make fun of her. So her solution was to just hide away in her room until further notice.</p><p>That was when she heard a knock on the door. It was Alfie. “Patricia, are you alright in there?”</p><p>“Go away!” she shouted.</p><p>Now she heard Jerome’s voice, speaking a tad quieter than Alfie. “You heard the lady, Alfie, I don’t think we’re welcome here.”</p><p>Ugh, so <em>both </em>of them were out there, great. “You’re damn right, you’re not. Now fuck off!” she snapped in the direction of the door.</p><p>But Alfie was persistent. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to someone? You seem unusually upset. If you want, one of us could come in there and — ”</p><p>“If you come in here I’ll beat you with a dictionary!”</p><p>She wasn’t actually sure if there was a dictionary in here, but her threat was loud enough and convincing enough that they believed her bluff and went away. She didn’t let her guard down until she was sure they were gone and would stay gone.</p><p>Normally in this kind of situation, she’d blast loud, angry music to work through her feelings and deter anyone from bothering her. But she didn’t feel like it right now. She just felt kind of defeated, and she just wanted to sit in her room and stew.</p><p>In a perfect world, Patricia would have stayed locked in her room all night long, not to be seen until deep into the next day. But in reality, that wasn’t possible; not unless she wanted to starve. She tried to ignore her hunger, but she got to a point late in the evening when her stomach began to protest and cave in on itself, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out any longer. She was going to have to venture downstairs to scrounge up some dinner. She absolutely did not want to run into the boys, but that was a risk she was going to have to take.</p><p>Patricia tried to sneak downstairs and slip past them, but to no avail.</p><p>“There she is! Grab her!”</p><p>Before she knew what was happening, Alfie was suddenly at her side, and he grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her into the living room, where he forced her into a chair. Alfie then sat down on the couch next to Jerome, where they were both facing her and staring her down. Patricia didn’t like the looks of this. This felt like an interrogation.</p><p>Patricia crossed her arms. “What do you two want?”</p><p>“We want you to talk to us,” Alfie said.</p><p>“Just so desperate to chat with me, are you?” Patricia snarked. “We’ve got all break long, we can chat another day.”</p><p>Jerome snorted. “Trust me, we know better than to beg you for a casual chat.”</p><p>“Then what do you want?” she repeated.</p><p>Alfie went straight for the heart of the matter. “We know there’s something wrong.”</p><p>Patricia just steeled her jaw. She did not want to talk to them about this. “No, there’s not.”</p><p>“Oh, Patricia, don’t lie to us,” Jerome scoffed. “That wasn’t even a believable lie. You literally locked yourself in your room and threatened to hit us with a dictionary. Clearly something’s up.”</p><p>He did have a point. But she was going to continue to try to lie anyway. “So? Maybe I just didn’t want to look at either of your ugly faces.”</p><p>“Well I <em>know </em>that’s not true, because I have a <em>gorgeous </em>face,” Alfie said, pretending to flip back long hair that he didn’t have. “Also, we know you better than you think, Patricia. If you were just angry, we wouldn’t be so worried. But you also seem a little...sad. Which is not like you.”</p><p>She huffed. “Okay, <em>maybe</em>.”</p><p>“So what’s wrong?”</p><p>Patricia said nothing.</p><p>“If you don’t tell us, we’re just gonna guess,” Alfie said, starting to list off possibilities. “Did you get in a fight with Joy?…Was there no more black eyeliner at the shop?…Are you having boy trouble?…” </p><p>Then Jerome cut in, coming right for the throat. “What’s <em>really </em>going on with your parents?”</p><p>Patricia bristled. “How’d you know that’s what was wrong?”</p><p>Though he had a little smirk on his face, the look in his eyes was one of understanding. “Just a hunch.”</p><p>Patricia hesitated. She felt reluctant to say anything to them. The idea of confiding in them made her balk; with them, there was always the threat of them making fun of her, which would just end in tears — for them, when she beat them up in retaliation. However, they actually seemed sincere right now, like they were willing to listen and be understanding. So she gave in; she wouldn’t tell them everything, and she definitely wouldn’t divulge any details, but she’d tell them the main root of the problem.</p><p>“So my parents <em>are </em>on vacation, but it’s not just that. They’re overseas.” She paused. “In Florida.”</p><p>“In Florida?” Alfie repeated.</p><p>She nodded. “And they said they’ve got horrid phone service or something, so they’re barely going to be able to talk to me, either.”</p><p>“So, let me get this straight,” Jerome looked to clarify, sitting up in his seat. “Your parents went on a sunny international vacation, <em>on Christmas</em>, and left you behind on your own?”</p><p>She nodded once more.</p><p>Jerome exhaled heavily. “Yikes.”</p><p>“That sucks, big time, I’m sorry,” Alfie said.</p><p>“And I thought <em>my </em>parents sucked; yours look to be threatening their title,” Jerome quipped.</p><p>Alfie looked at Patricia. “So how do you feel?”</p><p>And that was what triggered her resolve to break, and she suddenly released the feelings she’d been holding back, revealing more details than she’d planned on sharing. “My parents left me on Christmas, how do you <em>think </em> I feel?” She snapped with more venom than she’d intended. “It sucks! It sucks and I hate them!” She groaned and sat back in her chair. “<em>And </em>they forgot to send my Christmas gifts in the mail! Like, come on! Who does that? Bunch of assholes. It’s not like I care about the stuff, but it’s the thought, you know. It’s like they don’t even care.” By the end of her rant, she could feel herself getting dejected, and she heard her voice get quiet as she trailed off.</p><p>There was silence, something heavy hanging in the air between them. Patricia felt raw, like she had opened some kind of wound. Luckily, the boys seemed to grasp the gravity of her feelings, and they didn’t act like assholes, and they didn’t even tease her.</p><p>“I’m sure they care,” Alfie assured, his tone softening.</p><p>“Not as much as they should,” Patricia muttered.</p><p>“Well, I’m sure they don’t mean to make you feel like that,” Alfie said. “Sometimes, parents...they don’t know the full impact they have on their kids.”</p><p>“At least you talk to your parents,” Jerome said. “I barely have a relationship with my parents at all.”</p><p>The room went silent, and the other two gave him some slightly concerned looks. Patricia was surprised he said so much; he never talked about his parents.</p><p>“At all?” she asked.</p><p>“Why do you think I stay here every holiday?”</p><p>Alfie looked surprised, and perhaps a little distressed that he was just learning this information now. “Dude, I knew you and your parents didn’t get on well, but...are they really that bad?”</p><p>Jerome got a melancholy look on his face. “Alfie, there’s a reason that you, my best friend in the world, have never met my parents,” he said gently.</p><p>Gingerly, Alfie asked, “Do you wanna talk about it?”</p><p>“No, absolutely not,” Jerome shook his head vehemently. “My problems aren’t going away anytime soon. Besides, it’s Patricia we’re here to talk about.”</p><p>“Uh, I didn’t sign up for this therapy session,” Patricia protested. “And I wouldn’t trust either of you to give any sort of advice.”</p><p>This made Jerome laugh. “We are <em>definitely </em>not here to offer advice of any kind.”</p><p>“Think of it less as therapy and more as mutual commiseration,” Alfie suggested. “We’re just here to listen.”</p><p>Patricia looked at them skeptically.</p><p>“Anything you say to us doesn’t leave this room,” Alfie promised.</p><p>“You can trust us,” Jerome said.</p><p>Patricia snorted. “Yeah, right.”</p><p>“You can, I swear,” Jerome insisted. “The two of us aren’t exactly being closed books here, either. We’d kill you if you said anything just as much as you’d kill us for saying anything.”</p><p>Patricia took a long, deep breath and looked at each of them pointedly. She didn’t see anything untrustworthy in either of their faces, which was a first. Shockingly, she was feeling a little open, and she didn’t know the next time that would happen, so before she changed her mind, she plowed ahead with some of the deep stuff.</p><p>“You ever feel like the black sheep of your family?” she asked. “Like none of them quite ‘get’ you?”</p><p>“Always,” Jerome responded quickly.</p><p>“Sometimes,” Alfie answered.</p><p>Patricia sighed heavily. “They have told me multiple times that they ‘don’t approve’ of some of my interests or my actions. They never seem happy when they talk to me, either, no matter what I say. It’s like they don’t know what to do with me.”</p><p>Jerome let out a wry laugh. “I’ll drink to that.”</p><p>She balled up her fist in pent-up frustration. “I try my hardest with them, but they’re never pleased with me. I feel like nothing I ever do is good enough.”</p><p>Alfie nodded in understanding. “I know exactly how you feel. My parents have <em>extremely </em>high expectations that feel impossible to meet.”</p><p>“This is true,” Jerome backed up. “I don’t think anything less than the moon will satisfy Alfie’s parents.”</p><p>They sat in silence for a moment, all coming to a mutual understanding. Seemed like they all had their own issues with their parents. Alfie had certainly been right when he said “mutual commiseration.”</p><p>“Parents, am I right?” Jerome halfheartedly attempted to lighten the mood.</p><p>“Yeah, they <em>suck</em>,” Patricia seethed. “Fucking ruining the holidays.”</p><p>Jerome slowly let out a breath. “Look, just because you have shit parents doesn’t mean you have to have a shit time. You don’t need to hide yourself away the whole break.”</p><p>“Yeah, you can spend time hanging with us!” Alfie exclaimed. “We’ll have a grand old time!”</p><p>“Yippee.” Patricia’s voice was oozing with sarcasm.</p><p>“Aw, don’t be like that, you’ll warm up to us,” Alfie teased.</p><p>“You two are just gonna pull a bunch of pranks and annoy me the whole time.”</p><p>“No! We promise we’ll behave.”</p><p>“Maybe this is when you become part of the brain trust and we pull stuff <em>with </em>you, rather than <em>on </em>you,” Jerome speculated. “We’ll let you take a look behind the curtain and see all the genius going on behind the scenes.”</p><p>“‘Genius’ is not the word I’d use to describe the things that you two do.”</p><p>“You say that, but just you wait until we come to you with a good scheme that you can’t resist.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay, whatever,” Patricia said.</p><p>The tension and emotions in the room had settled. There was a release, like they’d let out a giant exhale. Patricia felt calmer now. She also felt raw, exposed, and exhausted, but in a sort of cathartic way, like the way you felt after you cried your eyes out.</p><p>“You good?” Alfie asked her.</p><p>She shrugged. “I guess.”</p><p>“Cool,” Alfie nodded, seeming like he was trying to bring them back to some kind of normalcy. “You up for a movie or something?”</p><p>It was kind of him to ask, but Patricia sort of wanted to be alone right now. This conversation had been a lot. She shook her head. “No thanks. I’m just gonna grab some food and go to bed.”</p><p>“Aw, do you hate us that much? I’m hurt.”</p><p>“<em>No</em>, I’m just tired, that’s all.” Patricia stood up. “If either of you bring this up again I’ll fill all your shoes with mayonnaise.”</p><p>“Do it, I dare you,” Jerome challenged. “We can start a prank war. That’d be fun.”</p><p>“<em>No</em>, I am not getting into a prank war with you guys over break.”</p><p>“Come on, Patricia, have a little fun!” Alfie pleaded.</p><p>Patricia made a face at them. “I’m leaving. Don’t bother me.”</p><p>She left the room, and she heard Alfie shout after her, “You <em>will </em>have a good time while we’re here! And that’s a threat!”</p><p>* * *</p><p>The next morning began with a loud clattering and banging noise coming from downstairs. Patricia sat up in bed, listening carefully. She now heard a lot of commotion, and she could smell something in the air, too. Clearly something was going on down there. Patricia got up and went down to investigate, wondering what kind of shenanigans the boys were up to now.</p><p>The answer: causing mass destruction, judging by the horror show that was the current state of the kitchen. It was nothing short of an absolute mess. There was flour coating the stove, countertops, and walls. The floor was littered with excess ingredients, and there were various utensils strewn about the room with reckless abandon. And, somehow, they had managed to splatter batter <em>everywhere </em>— the floor, island, sink, walls, stove, and even the ceiling. It looked like they had committed some kind of culinary massacre. Currently, the two boys were bending over a pan on the stovetop and arguing; over what, Patricia wasn’t sure, but she was pretty sure she heard the word “butter” a few times.</p><p>Patricia stepped into the room, trying to avoid a puddle of batter. “Did a bag of flour explode in here?”</p><p>Alfie and Jerome both flipped around to face her, their faces and fronts thoroughly covered in flour and what she sincerely hoped was syrup.</p><p>“Good morning, Patsy!” Alfie welcomed heartily. “We’ve been waiting for your arrival!”</p><p>“Though we’d hoped to have a better product than this,” Jerome muttered.</p><p>“Don’t call me that. And what the hell are you doing?” Patricia inquired.</p><p>“Trudy gave us permission to make breakfast!” Alfie exclaimed.</p><p>“Which she really shouldn’t have,” Jerome added.</p><p>“We’re making pancakes!” Alfie announced. “Or, at least, they were <em>supposed </em>to be pancakes.”</p><p>Patricia stepped forward to investigate the pan up close, and in it she found a monstrosity. She didn’t understand what exactly they’d done to get it to that consistency. It was somehow both clumpy and runny at the same time. It was also a funny color — far too yellow, possibly from too many eggs. She didn’t even want to begin to imagine what this disaster tasted like. Her main concern, however, was with how they were cooking it. Had neither of them ever seen a pancake before? They’d put about four pancakes’ worth of batter in the pan, and they were stirring it like soup. There was no way that would ever turn into an edible pancake.</p><p>“You’re doing it all wrong,” she stated.</p><p>“What now?” Jerome asked.</p><p>“I said, you’re doing it wrong. Here, let me.”</p><p>Patricia forced herself between them and grabbed hold of the pan on the stovetop. She snatched the spatula from Alfie’s hand and got to work on remedying their horrid mess. With just a little bit of effort, she was able to turn the abominations they tried to pass off as pancakes into presentable food that did not look like a crime against nature.</p><p>The boys looked impressed. “Wow, I didn’t think you could cook,” Jerome said in disbelief.</p><p>Patricia gave him a fake smile. “I’m a girl of many hidden talents, Jerome. Would appreciate if you didn’t doubt me so quick.”</p><p>“Alright, calm down, Pattycakes.”</p><p>“<em>Pattycakes</em>?” she fumed. “Oh, I <em> will </em> kill you if you call me <em>that </em>one again.”</p><p>“If you kill him does that mean I get his share of breakfast?” Alfie asked. “Because if so, I really think you should say it again, Jerome.”</p><p>Alfie tried to sneak a pancake directly from the pan, and he, predictably, burned his hand, which earned some loud jeering from Jerome. In response, Alfie grabbed a handful of flour from the counter and tossed it in Jerome’s face, which made Jerome do the exact same thing back to him and started an all-out flour war that Patricia got caught in the crosshairs of. Well, now that she was involved, she had to win. She grabbed her own flour and went on the attack.</p><p>And in the end, the boys declared that she did, indeed, take the win.</p><p>Patricia didn’t know if they had tried to pull off this whole breakfast thing for her sake, but considering their conversation last night, it wasn’t out of the question. It was unlike them to go out of their way like that, but she decided not to read into it too much. It was...nice.</p><p>And it was fun to laugh at their utter culinary failure and just how atrociously bad they were, both at cooking and at flour fights.</p><p>* * *</p><p>After spending a couple of hours having some alone time in her room, Patricia descended the stairs and entered the living room to find the boys had erected an elaborate setup at the dining room table. There was a giant game board, sheets of paper, some figurines, dice strewn everywhere, and some kind of folder screen surrounding where Jerome sat at the head of the table. He also seemed to have an incredibly large book and at least two notebooks in front of him, which he was intently flipping through. Alfie looked to be in the middle of meticulously setting up the figurines in some kind of elaborate battle scene. </p><p>“What’s all this?” Patricia interrupted their concentration.</p><p>“Ah, we’ve been waiting just for you!” Alfie bounded over to her and then led her to the table. “We are about to embark on what is shaping up to be a wild and magical dungeons and dragons campaign. Care to join us?”</p><p>“Uh, what am I, some kind of nerd?” Patricia scoffed.</p><p>“Patricia, I’ve seen all those posters of witches in your room,” Jerome pointed out.</p><p>“Yeah, ‘cause witches are actually cool.”</p><p>“So, you can <em>be </em>some kind of witch if you really want. The possibilities are endless.”</p><p>Patricia hesitated. She actually <em>had </em>played in the past, but it had been a long time.</p><p>“Oh, come on and play, Patricia, please,” Alfie pleaded. “It’ll be fun!”</p><p>Patricia gave him an uncertain look.</p><p>“You can’t really play with just two players, anyway. If it’s two players then it just turns into a game of ‘Jerome tells me what to do.’”</p><p>“Hey, that is <em>not </em>true, you somehow manage to always go off the rails,” Jerome accused. “No matter how carefully I construct it, you <em>always </em>abandon the plot for a billion side quests. It’s a sick talent, I don’t know how you do it.”</p><p>“So what do you say?” Alfie asked her, a gleam of hope in his eyes.</p><p>What did she have to lose? “Alright, I’ll do it,” she said, taking the seat to Jerome’s left.</p><p>Alfie was absolutely delighted. He sat across from Patricia and started rifling around in a box on the floor next to him. She wondered what exactly he was looking for, and she was horrified to see it was a headband with two garish elf ears on either end. He held it out to her across the table.</p><p>“Please wear the standard D and D uniform.”</p><p>Patricia looked at it with trepidation. “Really?”</p><p>“It’s required, Patricia. We all wear something. It’s to get into the spirit!”</p><p>After a moment of consideration, she resigned herself to her fate and took the ears. She slipped the headband onto her head, and then the boys each put on their own headgear: Alfie wore a Viking helmet, and Jerome had a classic pointy wizard hat. Well, at least they were all going to look equally stupid.</p><p>Alfie clapped his hands together, seemingly ready to kick things off. “Now, Jerome is the all-powerful DM, and you and I are the characters. We’re gonna go questing together,” he grinned at Patricia.</p><p>“Okay,” she said, starting to get into it.</p><p>“And, luckily for you, you don’t even have to go through the tedium of creating your character from scratch,” Jerome said with a smirk. “I’ve already given your character a name: Peppermint Patty.”</p><p>They kept making these names as horrible as possible on purpose, she swore. She scowled. “Ugh, do I have a say in this?”</p><p>“No. I’m the dungeon master, which means what I say goes. And I say your name is Peppermint Patty.”</p><p>“Can I roll to kill the DM?”</p><p>“You cannot. I am a god. And you cannot kill a god.”</p><p>“Not if I have anything to say about it.”</p><p>“That’s not how this works.”</p><p>Alfie, on the other hand, was completely into it. “Patricia, I love this idea. I declare that we throw aside whatever campaign Jerome came up with. Our <em>new </em>adventure: ‘The Quest to Kill God,’ starring the Great Alfonso and Peppermint Patty.”</p><p>“I think that’s an <em>excellent </em>idea, Alfie,” Patricia agreed emphatically.</p><p>The two of them looked at Jerome defiantly, waiting to see how he would react to this insurrection.</p><p>Jerome sighed. “Why must you ruin my plans every single time, Alfie?”</p><p>“Because it’s fun!” Alfie exclaimed. “Now, give me the dice; I want to explore a dark cave.”</p><p>At the end of the day, despite their best efforts, Alfie and Patricia’s god-killing quest was, tragically, unsuccessful.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The next morning, Patricia was woken up by something cold, hard, and wet hitting her in the face.</p><p>She sat bolt upright in bed, her hands reaching up instinctively to smack at whatever had hit her. A quick analysis told her that it was a snowball. A snowball had hit her in the face. Inside, somehow. What the fuck happened?</p><p>She found her answer in the bellowing laughter that was coming from her doorway. There stood Alfie and Jerome, bundled up in winter coats and boots, looking like two kids in a candy store. Alfie had a snowball in his hand while Jerome, suspiciously, did not. She was pretty sure she’d found her culprit.</p><p>“Oh, that one got you good, Patrice,” Jerome said after recovering from laughter.</p><p>“Ugh, don’t call me that,” Patricia sneered. “And what the fuck are you losers doing?”</p><p>“It’s time for a snowball fight!” Alfie announced.</p><p>“Now?” It was eight in the morning.</p><p>“Oh, is someone too chicken?” Jerome mocked. “Afraid you’re going to lose?”</p><p>“A true competitor is always up for the challenge, no matter the circumstances,” Alfie said.</p><p>“If you don’t come out, we’ll assume you’ve admitted defeat.”</p><p>“Come on, don’t be a sore loser!”</p><p>Alfie chucked his snowball at her, which hit her right in the side of the head. A laugh escaped Jerome’s mouth while Alfie bubbled with maniacal childlike excitement.</p><p>Oh, they’d really done it now. They’d awoken the beast. They were going to be sorry.</p><p>“Oh, you two are <em>dead</em>.”</p><p>With looks of glee and terror on their faces, the two boys scurried out of the room. Still in her pajamas, Patricia yanked on her coat and boots and followed them down the stairs, preparing to unleash havoc in the form of snowballs.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The following day, in the wee hours of the early morning, Patricia woke up on the living room couch. She and the boys had watched movies late into the night last night, and she guessed they had all eventually passed out during the last film, and it seemed they had fallen asleep on the couch together. As she blinked herself awake, she saw that the three of them had slept in a close-knit huddle. She’d fallen asleep with her head onto Alfie’s stomach, and Jerome had nestled himself between her and the back of the couch.</p><p>If this had been two weeks ago, she would’ve immediately jumped up and left. Falling asleep on the couch with them like this would have embarrassed her to no end. But right now, she found it was actually kind of nice. After the initial shock, she didn’t feel disgusted; she felt surprisingly comfortable, and she didn’t want to get up.</p><p>So, instead of untangling herself from them and starting her day, she settled right back in and went back to sleep.</p><p>When she woke up again, she was alone on the couch. Jerome and Alfie were nowhere to be seen. Instead, she discovered she’d been covered with a blanket, which she found surprisingly nice and thoughtful.</p><p>She didn’t know which of them had gotten up next, or if they even knew she was ever awake, but obviously they had seen what had happened. She wondered if either of them would say anything about it.</p><p>She heard some commotion, so she lifted her head to see Alfie and Jerome bringing some food and plates to the dining table. Clutching the blanket around her shoulders, Patricia got up and trudged over to the table, which finally elicited their notice.</p><p>“Hey, look who it is, it’s Knick Knack Patty Whack!” Alfie greeted brightly.</p><p>Patricia upturned her nose like she’d smelled something foul, while Jerome stifled a laugh. “Dear god, that’s the worst one yet,” she said.</p><p>“Noted,” Alfie said. “Now, I’m glad you’re finally awake. Trudy has left us an excellent Christmas Eve breakfast, which just looks divine.”</p><p>“So I recommend you get yourself a helping before there’s none left,” Jerome said, taking a heaping spoonful of scrambled eggs.</p><p>She also had no idea which one of them put the blanket on her, but she was not going to bring it up and ask. Frankly, it didn’t matter. It could have been either of them, and she was okay with that. Neither of them mentioned last night’s sleeping arrangements to her; the topic went undiscussed. But it wasn’t uncomfortable, either. It was like that sort of thing was normal.</p><p>Was Patricia starting to like whatever new bond was developing here between the three of them? She was shocked to find that the answer looked to be yes.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The hours went by quickly, and soon it was nighttime on Christmas Eve. They had a lovely meal, and then came the question of how they would spend their hours before bed. The answer, as it had been just about every night of break, was to watch a movie. The boys voting for movie night was not a shock, but their actual choice of movie was.</p><p>“Alright, what’s on tap for tonight?” Patricia asked.</p><p>“Well, it’s Christmas Eve, so we figured why not go for a Christmas classic?” Jerome pulled a DVD out from the stack. “We were thinking <em> Love Actually</em>.”</p><p>Patricia furrowed her brow. “That doesn’t seem like a Jerome and Alfie kind of movie.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, we’ve seen you and Joy watch it, so we figured, why not give it a go?” Alfie said with a twinkle in his eye.</p><p>In that moment, it became clear to her that they were doing this just for her sake; they knew that she was secretly a sucker for rom-coms. She felt a sudden wave of brotherly affection towards them, which was a new feeling, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.</p><p>But ultimately, she decided she liked it.</p><p>They turned off the lights and settled in for Christmas Eve movie night. Patricia and Alfie were lying in opposite directions on the couch, their heads resting on either couch arm. Jerome was sitting on the floor up against the middle of the couch, positioned directly between the other two. They didn’t say a whole lot, but it was nice to just be in each other’s company and enjoy a cheesy movie together.</p><p>They watched for a while, and they were at about the middle of the movie when Jerome suddenly decided to speak up.</p><p>“Patricia?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Do you <em>really </em>hate your parents?”</p><p>She sighed. “No, not really. They’re good people, I’m just mad at them. And it felt like they abandoned me, which makes me...sad.”</p><p>He nodded. “I get that.”</p><p>Patricia wondered what he’d been thinking about and what had inspired him to ask that. They hadn’t had a serious conversation since that second night, and she knew that anything parents was a sensitive subject for him; it was sensitive for all of them, really. Was he feeling in the mood for commiseration? Or to, like, show support? Did that mean he trusted her? That was a pretty big deal, and she felt rather touched.</p><p>“We’re here for you, Patty,” Alfie said.</p><p>“Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”</p><p>“Did we already try that one? Darn.”</p><p>“She hasn’t liked any of them yet, Alfie.”</p><p>“A feeling which is not going to change,” Patricia stated firmly.</p><p>“Not until we find the right one!”</p><p>Patricia scoffed. “Yeah, okay, Alfie.”</p><p>“Just you wait, Patricia, you’re gonna love it.”</p><p>“Sure, that’ll happen,” she retorted, her voice thick with sarcasm. “Now shut up and watch Hugh Grant dance.”</p><p>Alfie sighed dramatically. “I wish <em> I </em>could dance around Downing Street.”</p><p>“Pfft. Like they would ever let you near a government building,” Jerome sassed.</p><p>Patricia smiled to herself as the boys started arguing with each other. It felt oddly comfortable and natural to be sitting here with them. Who would’ve thought?</p><p>So maybe she wouldn’t be having her standard holiday. And maybe this bond she’d grown with them wouldn’t survive once everyone returned to the house. Regardless, it was nice to have people to be with in this moment. It made her feel like someone actually cared.</p><p>* * *</p><p>Patricia wasn’t sure quite what she expected to see when she went downstairs on Christmas morning, but she sure didn’t expect what she <em>did </em>see: in the living room was Jerome, in a full Santa costume, hat and coat and all, flanked by Alfie, dressed head to toe in an elf costume, with the green suit, striped tights, and a big hat with bells on the end. Patricia had to stop herself from bursting out into laughter at the sight of them.</p><p>“Wow, aren’t you two just a couple of characters,” she said upon entering the living room.</p><p>The boys spun around to face her, and Jerome gave her a look that kind of reminded her of a disappointed mother.</p><p>“And where’s your Christmas spirit, Patricia? I see a distinct lack of Christmas cheer in your current apparel.”</p><p>“Didn’t exactly anticipate needing to pack cheery attire,” Patricia responded.</p><p>“That’s okay, we brought some for you!” Alfie exclaimed, shoving a Santa hat onto her head. She scowled at the audacity, but Alfie was rather pleased. “There we go! That’s much more festive.”</p><p>“Excellent,” Jerome said, now looking pointedly at Alfie. “Shall we get on with the holiday merriment, then, Alfie? We’ve got much to do; I am Santa, after all.”</p><p>“Yes, we should do that.”</p><p>Jerome stood and waited, looking patiently at Alfie. “Well? Get on with it, then.”</p><p>“Oh!” Alfie exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering something. “Right, yes.”</p><p>Alfie scrambled over to the speaker and turned on some Christmas music. Then he began to perform some kind of dramatic pirouette, which threatened to send Patricia into a fit of laughter.</p><p>“Yes, good,” Jerome approved. “Now, we’ve got to get gifts ready, prep for upcoming activities, and make sure we’ve got enough eggnog, that’s very important.”</p><p>“Got it.”</p><p>“And by we, I mean mostly you, as you are my elf.”</p><p>“Yes sir, Santa sir,” Alfie saluted.</p><p>While the boys were very amusing, Patricia knew there wasn’t anything waiting for her, so she kind of just wanted to get to breakfast.</p><p>“You guys are funny,” she said, looking to move along. “Now, what have we got in the kitchen? I’m starving —”</p><p>“No no no no no, wait,” Jerome insisted, grabbing her by the arm. “Not just yet.”</p><p>She started to get suspicious. “Why?”</p><p>“Well, we can’t have breakfast before opening at least one Christmas present,” Alfie said. “That’s the Lewis family tradition.”</p><p>Patricia bristled. They’d hit a nerve. Did all of their bonding these past however many days mean nothing? It was like they were trying to be deliberately mean. “You two know damn well I don’t have anything, so excuse me if I’m not too keen on watching you open stuff on an empty stomach.”</p><p>“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Alfie said.</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>The two boys looked at each other, then back at her. “We got you something,” Jerome said.</p><p>She was stunned. “I’m sorry?”</p><p>Alfie went over and pulled out a box that had been hidden in the corner. It had been wrapped up in dark green paper and topped with a red bow. He hoisted the box up and handed it to her. “Well, we didn’t want you to have <em> nothing </em> on Christmas, that’s just sad.”</p><p>Patricia found herself speechless. She didn’t quite know what to say. Alfie and Jerome, being...genuinely nice? It almost felt like a trick.</p><p>“This better not be some kind of joke. If this explodes in my face, I’m going to be really mad.”</p><p>“It’s not, we swear,” Jerome assured.</p><p>“I swear on my favorite zombie mask,” Alfie promised, grinning. “Now open it up. Merry Christmas.”</p><p>A warm smile snuck onto Jerome’s face. “Merry Christmas, Trixie.”</p><p>Patricia stopped suddenly. Trixie? Huh. That one was different. She looked up at them; they each had an expression on their face like they were expecting her to yell at them again like she had for every single nickname so far; they looked like they were bracing themselves. But actually...this one wasn’t so bad. She might even like it.</p><p>“You know...I think I can actually tolerate that one.”</p><p>The boys looked at each other, seeming incredibly surprised and delighted.</p><p>“Well, come on then, Trixie,” Alfie encouraged.</p><p>Patricia found herself cracking an involuntary smile. She was warming up to that name very quickly. </p><p>She looked down at the shockingly-well-wrapped gift. Without any kind of grace, she tore off the paper and tossed it to the side, leaving her with just a plain box. She flipped open the lid and took a look inside. To an outsider, it probably didn’t look like much. It was a t-shirt, but it wasn’t just any t-shirt. It was actually merch for a band she liked. Patricia was incredibly surprised, not just that they would think to do this, but that they actually knew that she liked this band. Waves of strong emotions overcame her, and she was pretty sure that what she was experiencing was the mortifying ordeal of being known.</p><p>“When did you guys sneak out to get this?” she asked.</p><p>“When you were in the shower a few days ago,” Alfie answered. “Girls take shockingly long showers.”</p><p>“Says the guy with barely any hair,” Patricia retorted. “<em>You </em>try washing all this hair, see how fast you go.”</p><p>“No thanks, I’m good.”</p><p>Patricia didn’t have a witty comeback to that one. She took a long look at the box in her hands, feeling the desire to hold it tight to her chest, lest it and the good feelings that came along with it be taken away from her. “This is actually really nice, guys.”</p><p>“Hey, don’t you dare call me nice, I have a reputation to uphold,” Jerome said.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Patricia assured. “Unless I need to blackmail you.”</p><p>Jerome seemed oddly proud. “Look at our influence on you. That’s exactly what I would say. Guess we can be true friends after all.”</p><p><em> True friends</em>. That would be nice. Learning to open up to more people, while terrifying, might not be so bad.</p><p>Patricia quickly came to the realization that they had done this very nice thing for her and she had absolutely nothing for them in return. Great way to kick off the friendship.</p><p>“I didn’t get you guys anything, I feel bad,” she said.</p><p>Alfie brushed her off. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got plenty from my parents.”</p><p>“And my mother, despite it all, still bothered to send me something. Quite a shock, really,” Jerome said. “Plus whatever joke gifts Alfie’s hidden for me around the house.”</p><p>Alfie clapped his hands together. “Oh, just you wait, buddy, I got you something <em> good </em> this year.”</p><p>“Wonderful,” Jerome said sarcastically.</p><p>And so, her holiday break didn’t end up being so horrible after all.</p><p>Jerome and Alfie had gone out of their way to cheer her up and make sure she didn’t have a bad time, and for that she had to thank them. She didn’t particularly want to think about how low she might have gotten otherwise.</p><p>They spent the rest of the holidays playing games, watching movies, and getting heated about Mario Kart, which Patricia consistently destroyed them at. When the rest of the house returned from break, the three of them didn’t really talk about anything that had happened while everyone was away. The others were still under the impression that Patricia had gone home, so they weren’t even aware that anything had happened at all.</p><p>The three of them had decided to keep that between themselves, as a fond memory for just them. Patricia didn’t feel the need to talk about it; she got a memory she could cherish and an oddly strong new friendship, the origin of which no one else could or would understand, and that was enough for her. Also, Patricia told the boys that if they ever mentioned how soft she was with them in front of anyone else, she would beat them up, so they made sure to keep their lips tightly sealed on the subject. Smart of them. Not that they wanted anyone to know how soft <em>they </em>were, either.</p><p>A couple days after class started back up, the house was gathered together at the dinner table. It was a relatively normal night featuring relatively normal conversation, up until Alfie looked at Patricia and asked:</p><p>“Can you pass the peas, Trixie?”</p><p>The entire rest of the house looked at them in utter confusion. While Jerome and Alfie had been calling her that on and off for the last week of break, it would have been completely out of the blue for the rest of them. Some of them were looking at them like they each had two heads.</p><p>“‘Trixie’? Where did that come from?” Joy questioned.</p><p>Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome looked at each other, shrugged, and didn’t answer Joy’s question.</p><p>Now Jerome turned to Patricia. But unlike Alfie, he made his comment just to mess with the rest of them. “Say, Trixie, would you mind passing them over here next?”</p><p>This just made the others even more confused.</p><p>“Is that what you want all of us to call you now?” asked Fabian.</p><p>“No, absolutely not,” Patricia answered curtly, eliciting sly grins from Jerome and Alfie.</p><p>It became an unspoken agreement between the three of them that the origin of Trixie was to remain an enigma to everyone else. And no one else was allowed to call her that.</p><p>Patricia had one last thing to take care of. They had been ludicrously nice to her, and they’d even gone so far as to get her a gift. Patricia felt guilty about not doing anything for them in return, so it was time to remedy that. Yes, it was late, but she didn’t think they’d mind if a few Christmas gifts suddenly showed up at their door.</p><p>So while Alfie and Jerome were on chore duty one day, Patricia slipped into their room, and on each of their beds, she placed a neatly wrapped gift. For Alfie, a book of magic tricks. For Jerome, a copy of <em> How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying</em>. She hadn’t written anything heartfelt on the tags; she wasn’t exactly super good with emotions or words. But the two words she <em>had </em>written expressed more to the two of them than she could write in a hundred words.</p><p>
  <em> Sincerely, Trixie </em>
</p><hr/><p>“Wow, who would’ve thought those two were really just big softies?” Eddie teased.</p><p>Patricia rolled her eyes. “You can’t tell anyone else any of that, you hear? No one else besides me, Alfie, and Jerome know about that. You have to swear to secrecy.”</p><p>“I swear,” he promised.</p><p>“Swear <em>on </em>something, I have to know you’re serious.”</p><p>Chuckling, Eddie put a hand over his heart. “I swear on my mother, I will not say anything to anyone.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>He put his arm around her. “You <em> sure </em>I can’t call you Trixie?”</p><p>“You may absolutely never call me Trixie. If you do, I’ll dig a hole in the cellar floor and chuck you into it and bury you alive. And then I’ll send Jerome and Alfie to dance on your grave.”</p><p>“So...I’m guessing that’s a hard no, then.”</p><p>“You get your own nicknames that I let <em>no one </em>else call me, so don’t get greedy, weasel.”</p><p>“Alright, alright, fair enough, Yacker,” he conceded, caressing her shoulder with his thumb. “And it is nice, how sweet they were to you. <em> Are </em>to you.”</p><p>A little smile made its way onto her face. “They can be shockingly protective of me. They don’t show it much, though — they don’t want anyone to know how soft they are. So you <em> cannot </em> tell them I told you.”</p><p>He let out a soft chuckle. “I won’t say anything. It’ll be our little secret.” Eddie pressed a soft kiss to her temple. In a whisper so low it tingled the skin on her neck, he said, “That story did tell me one thing, though.”</p><p>She looked at how close his face was to her own, and her heart started to beat a little faster. “What’s that?”</p><p>With a small smirk, he said, “It told me how soft <em> you </em> are.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes dramatically and gave him a hard, playful shove. “Oh, piss off, this is exactly why I don’t tell people. I shouldn’t have told you shit.”</p><p>Eddie extended his lip in a fake pout. “Aw, but don’t you trust me?”</p><p>“Yeah, I trust you; I trust you to be a constant pain in my neck.”</p><p>His voice gained a flirty edge. “Oh, I can be a pain in your neck, if you really want.”</p><p>Eddie tackled her down onto the couch, which made Patricia break out into incessant laughter. He adjusted into a more comfortable spot on top of her and started kissing her neck.</p><p>“Eddie!” she exclaimed between giggles. “What if Victor comes in and catches us?”</p><p>He shrugged. “If he catches us, he catches us.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “I don’t care, do you?”</p><p>She couldn’t erase her big smile. “No.”</p><p>With a warm, fond look on his face, Eddie leaned down and kissed her. As his soft lips locked with hers, she let go of all the tension in her body and relaxed into it. She reached a hand up to his face, gently caressing it with her fingers. She continued to kiss him, slowly, relishing in the feeling of pleasure that was coursing through her whole body.</p><p>They had only been making out for a few minutes when they suddenly heard a chorus of scandalized gasps and disgruntled noises. Eddie lifted his head up, and Patricia turned her gaze to see Jerome and Alfie in the living room doorway, their eyes wide and mouths agape, looking like they’d just witnessed something horrific.</p><p>“My eyes!” Alfie shrieked. “I think they’re burning!”</p><p>Jerome put his hand over his mouth as if he was going to be sick. “Oh, god, Trixie, please. Have some consideration for the rest of us.”</p><p>“Have <em> you </em>considered minding your own business?” Patricia asked.</p><p>“Uh, when you start macking on each other on the living room couch, you’re kind of making it our business,” Alfie pointed out.</p><p>“And I, for one, do not want to see it,” Jerome stated.</p><p>“What, you guys jealous?” Eddie asked.</p><p>Both of their faces twisted into matching expressions of disgust.</p><p>“I would rather make out with a cactus,” Jerome declared.</p><p>“Which would be less prickly than Patricia,” Alfie added.</p><p>Eddie looked down at Patricia. “You hear that, Yacker? You’re less affectionate than a cactus.”</p><p>“That’s old news.”</p><p>“Mm, I’m not sure I agree.”</p><p>Jerome made a gagging noise. “I think I’m going to be sick. Are you finished?”</p><p>“Not in the slightest,” Eddie said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.</p><p>“Well, we want to watch TV, so…” Alfie trailed off, heavily implying that they should leave.</p><p>However, Eddie was nothing if not an irritating asshole. A cheeky grin spread onto his face. “Well, I, personally, plan to keep kissing my hot girlfriend. But hey, the TV’s all yours, feel free to stay if you want, I’m not gonna stop you.”</p><p>Patricia smacked him. “Eddie!”</p><p>“Ow.”</p><p>She gave him a very pointed look.</p><p>Eddie looked at the other two boys. “My mind has suddenly changed,” he announced. “I demand that you leave immediately.”</p><p>“Uh, how about <em> you </em>leave?” Alfie asked. “You’ve got a perfectly good room, why don’t you use it?”</p><p>“Well, Fabian has banned me from using our room for, quote, ‘fraternizing,’ and I’m trying to keep the roommate relations good. Now, unless you want to offer up <em> your </em>room…”</p><p>The boys gasped in horror as if he’d just suggested they go look at naked pictures of Victor.</p><p>“If you come anywhere near our room, I swear, Trixie, I will personally find your collection of weird goth memorabilia and throw it into the fireplace,” Jerome warned gravely.</p><p>Patricia decided that it was time to take charge and get these two slimeballs out of here. She loved them, but she was absolutely going to capitalize on her time with her boyfriend. It was time to bring out the big guns and put them in their place like a true sister would.</p><p>“If you two don’t fuck off, I’ll tell Eddie all your secrets,” Patricia threatened. “Including <em> that </em>one.”</p><p>The two of them looked wary. “You’d out <em>yourself </em>as soft in the process. You wouldn’t dare,” Jerome challenged.</p><p>“Oh, I would.” She looked up at Eddie. “Eddie, have I ever told you about the time I stayed at school over Christmas holiday?”</p><p>This sent them into pure panic. “<em>Fine</em>!” Jerome yelled. “Fine, we’re out of here.” And then they scampered off.</p><p>Eddie looked at her, amused. “Did you get them to leave by threatening to tell me a secret that you’ve already told me?”</p><p>“Yes,” she answered. “But they don’t need to know that.”</p><p>He burst into a wicked grin. “You are dastardly, and that is incredibly hot.”</p><p>Patricia just rolled her eyes affectionately at him.</p><p>Suddenly, Eddie got a rather suggestive look about him. He lowered his voice. “Well, now that we’re alone…”</p><p>Patricia didn’t bother to wait around. She wrapped one arm around his back, pressing him to her; she placed the other hand on the back of his head and leaned up to kiss him, putting a little more passion into it than the first time. Eddie responded in kind, easing his tongue into her mouth, which awakened a fire deep within her. He moved his hand down her side and onto her hip, and she buried her fingers in his hair.</p><p>Patricia really hoped her threat had been enough, and that the boys wouldn’t come back. She didn’t want to be interrupted; she was enjoying this <em>way </em>too much. The touch of his lips and the pressure of his body on hers made her feel hot and warm and flush all over, which was something she hadn’t been sure she would <em>ever </em>feel, and it was strange and weird, but she liked it.</p><p>She really did like him, like a <em>lot</em>, and, for whatever reason, she trusted him — probably even more than she trusted Alfie and Jerome, the realization of which was a shock to her. She didn’t know what it was about him; he was so incredibly irritating, but she was so drawn to him that she literally didn’t want to keep her hands off him. Luckily, he didn’t seem to want to, either, as evidenced by the tongue that continued to dance with hers and the hand that seemed determined to roam around as much as possible.</p><p>So, maybe she couldn’t share the name Trixie with him. But she hoped that maybe, in time, they could share something much, much deeper.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The author's own parental/family trauma might be evident in this fic lol</p><p>Is there a plot or a point here? No, not really. It's just about being nice to each other and becoming friends. And that's what really matters. So I hope you enjoyed what essentially boils down to a glimpse into friendship :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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